Every Lake
Lake Isabella
Formed in 1953 when the Kern River was dammed above old Kernville.
- 16 ft · first step
- 33 ft
- 49 ft
- 66 ft
- 82 ft
- 98 ft · bottom
About Lake Isabella
The Isabella Dam went up on the Kern River in 1953, built by the Army Corps of Engineers to control flooding and store irrigation water for Kern County farmland downstream. The rising reservoir covered the original town of Kernville, a gold-mining camp founded in the 1860s, so residents moved the town two miles north to its current site before the water rose. The dam sits at the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Kern River, at the southern edge of the Sierra Nevada.
Lake Isabella sits roughly 40 miles northeast of Bakersfield, drawing anglers after largemouth and smallmouth bass along with waterskiers and houseboat owners from the southern San Joaquin Valley. Afternoon winds funneling down the Kern River Canyon make the lake a regional windsurfing and kiteboarding spot. Between 2006 and 2017 the Army Corps drained the reservoir well below capacity and rebuilt the dam after inspectors found seepage and earthquake risk in the original structure, a project that closed much of the south end to boaters for over a decade.
- 4 shore towns named, with a star on each
- 301 roads engraved around the shore, 1 of them labeled
- 6 depth layers, each step engraved with its depth in feet
- Compass rose, title block with coordinates, max depth and area; keyhole hanger on the back
Turn it in your hands
Live 3D of the actual cut files — drag to orbit, pinch to zoom. Every road you see is engraved on the real thing.
Viewer not showing? Open it full screen.
Lake Isabella depth chart, in wood
This is a Lake Isabella depth chart you can hang: 6 stacked layers of birch, each one a depth contour — 16 ft, 33 ft, 49 ft, 66 ft, 82 ft and deeper, down to the deepest hole at about 98 ft. The lake covers about 9.4 square miles, and 301 shore roads are engraved around it. The shape of the bottom is the real one from published soundings, so anglers recognise their drop-offs and points.
A Lake Isabella map for the wall — or a gift
Most of these go to a cabin wall, a lake house entry, or a home office; a lot are gifts — the family that has been on Lake Isabella for three generations, the retirement move, the first boat. The 12-inch is the desk-and-shelf size; the 24- and 30-inch boards read across a room. Add a line under the title and star your place on the shore, and it becomes the map of your Lake Isabella.
Lake Isabella map — the details
How big is the map?
Four sizes: 12, 17, 24 and 30 inches on the long side, from $149. Every size is cut from the same depth data of Lake Isabella; the bigger boards carry more shoreline roads and place names.
Is it made from real depth data?
Yes. Lake Isabella is cut layer by layer from published bathymetric soundings — each layer of birch is a depth contour, so the shape of the bottom is the real one, not decorative.
Can I add my own place on it?
Yes. At checkout you can add a line under the title (a family name, a cabin name, a year) and star the spot on the shore that matters to you.
How long does it take?
Made to order in Waterford, Pennsylvania and shipped in 7–10 days; shipping is free in the lower 48.
Can you make a lake that isn't listed?
Any lake in the United States — we hold depth data for 104,419 of them. Search for yours; if it isn't built yet we build it when you order.
- 6 depth layers down to 98 ft
- 9.4 square miles of water
- 301 shore roads engraved, 1 named
- Title block, compass rose and depth markers
- Birch plywood, keyhole hanger, made in Waterford, PA
